The New York Timesreports that the U.K. government is trying to find a way to grapple with the existential despair of being alive. A 2017 report from the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness has sounded the alarm by sharing that in Britain, more than nine million people “often or always feel lonely.”

Feeling lonely isn’t just unpleasant; it has documented side effects on physical health such as “cardiovascular disease, dementia, depression and anxiety.” Mark Robinson works as the chief officer at non-profit Age UK, which words with the elderly. Robinson says he’s seen the deterioration of older people who are lonely, but that it doesn’t have to be this way.

“It’s proven to be worse for health than smoking 15 cigarettes a day, but it can be overcome and needn’t be a factor in older people’s lives,” said Robinson.

Tracey Crouch, who has been working as the under secretary for sport and civil society in the culture ministry, was given the position leading the group battling loneliness. Prime Minister Theresa May announced her appointment on Wednesday:

“For far too many people, loneliness is the sad reality of modern life,” Mrs. May said in a statement.

“I want to confront this challenge for our society and for all of us to take action to address the loneliness endured by the elderly, by carers, by those who have lost loved ones — people who have no one to talk to or share their thoughts and experiences with.”

Advertisement

A worthy cause in a world that feels increasingly alienating. Minister of Loneliness also sounds like a character from an alternate Harry Potter timeline where wizards battle ennui instead of snake magic. Take care of each other out there.